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Nigel: Allison's Lack of Confidence Got Her Eliminated

By
Nigel Barker

Being graceful and in touch with your body is an extremely important part of modeling. If you’re stiff and have no rhythm at all, chances are you’re not going to be a particularly successful model either. All the top models have the ability to be graceful when they move even if dancing is not their forte. Allison said she hoped this week’s challenge would be a still photo shoot, but to be ‘The Face’ is not just a one dimensional job. She has to be 3D, 4D, even. You don’t always have to follow complicated choreography to be successful, but there is a lot of choreographed moves and walks involved in modeling! Of course, Naomi Campbell is an incredible dancer and has been in music videos, and other models like Helena Christensen, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista have done multiple music videos for the likes of George Michael, Chris Issak and Michael Jackson. Ultimately a model isn’t about how amazing her body looks, it’s how beautifully and alluringly she moves the body that she has.

That said, Afiya has the body of a dancer. She’s one of those girls who knows she can dance but runs the risk of getting lost in that fact. It’s not important to know how to dance: it’s how to move. It’s less about the dance routine and more about the bag as the hero.

I think Sharon did a great job. She nailed all of it. She knew the routine, she was graceful, and it looked like she was having fun. It was effortless. The concept was to create a viral video, and they have to be exciting and unusual. If it’s too choreographed, like a music video, that’s not as interesting.

Khadisha has been a surprise. She was trying to show everyone else on her team what to do, but in the end, she could hardly catch the bag and she fell flat.

Tiana had a good attitude. She’s not a great dancer but she looked like she was having fun. You want people to see that you’re into it and committed, even if you fail. It’s not about how you fall, it’s how you pick yourself up!

Some girls fell and couldn’t recover. Felisa has yet to give herself a chance in this competition. She is her own worst enemy. She can be very nice and sweet, but she has never risen to the top. She has been coasting. She’s not giving herself permission to go full throttle and do something with abandon. One of the sexiest tools for a model is the ability to be spontaneous. Someone only becomes a supermodel by continuously inspiring photographers and editors.

I think the outcome for Allison was unfortunate. Visually, she’s striking. I think it’s courageous and inspiring for other girls to see her push through, she’s a stunning girl and she photographs beautifully. The still shots of her from this challenge are the best out of anybody. If she realized how great she looked and really went for it, then she would have looked incredible in the video. Ultimately it was her lack of confidence in her dancing that got her eliminated.

As for Team Lydia’s losses: coaching models isn’t easy. There is no one way to do it. Like everyone in the modeling industry, Lydia had to earn her place in the industry and prove herself. To help her team, Lydia is going to have to reach deep inside. It’s more about inspiring her team, not “this is how you do this, and that.” She’s going to have to dig deep about who she is. Any one of them can become a success if they have what it takes.